Homeless Hearts - ON HIATUS
by Ghost-of-a-Chance-13
Summary: Three strangers arrive in Konoha seeking Home; two more arrive in Suna seeking a lost loved one. Each has a demon on their backs - fear, anger, self-doubt, worry, and suspicion - and each has never been more lost. Love won't heal all wounds, but it's certainly a start. Welcome to the world of Homeless Hearts. Rock Lee/Tanaki, Choji/Mizuchi, Gaara/Riko, Sai/Shiracha, Neji/Suzaku
1. Prologue

**I don't own Naruto, any of its characters or devices, or any songs/books/etc mentioned; no money's being made here. I do own Tanaki, Riko, Mizuchi, Suzaku, Shiracha, & all my other OCs...and venus flytrap that appears to have gone vegan. **

**Welcome to the world of Homeless Hearts! Just a few words of warning here. This is not at all canon, but an AU in which the Ninja war was narrowly averted, the Akatsuki turned on their leader, and the nations are finally, FINALLY on good terms with one another. Nobody who died after the start of Shippuden is dead; it's BS that they killed off so many fan-favorites, then LAUNCHED INTO UMPTEEN SEASONS OF FILLER! (Seriously! I usually ENJOY filler episodes, but what the HECK?!) Lastly, the prequel is OC only - no canon characters, but that will be fixed with the upload of chapter 1. (...whenever that happens.) Hope y'all enjoy, and have a great week! This chapter dedicated to my awesome beta** DarkAvenger1506 **for inspiring me to 'get on with' writing up HH. Here's to you, Hon!**

* * *

 _Suggested listening: RUSH, "Afterimage," & Kelly Clarkson, "Breakaway"_

 **Prologue**

Another hot summer day was fading into dusk, and the Village Hidden in the Grass was at peace. Fireflies danced on cool breezes, crickets chirped, tree frogs sang, and in the village square, the people of Hidden Grass village sat around a large bonfire, celebrating the summer solstice. At a nearby sweet shop, a young woman with short straw blonde hair received a large box of dango dumplings with a grin.

"Shiracha!" she called out excitedly to a lithe white-haired woman who stood nearby, tapping a folded ebony tessen against her hip while watching a house intently. "Come on! Tanaki said she'll catch up later—stop worrying, or I'll eat all the dango and leave you _none!"_ Shiracha's bright violet eyes crinkled in uncharacteristic worry; she fidgeted with the long sleeve of her plum-colored kimono.

"Apologies, Riko," she stated quietly. "Something's wrong…I know it is." Balancing the box on her head, Riko weaved through the crowd surrounding the shops to meet Shiracha.

"What do you mean, 'something's wrong?'" she grinned excitedly. "I got plenty for all three of us…what could go wrong?"

"It's not the dango, Riko." Shiracha's eyes again drifted to the front door of the house Riko and her sister Tanaki lived in with their mother. "I just can't shake the feeling that Tanaki was lying to us earlier…She's a terrible liar, you know." Riko frowned, tightening her grip on the box.

"So, what? You think she really did want to stay home, instead of attending the festival with us? She promised to meet us at the tea house—"

"—an _hour_ ago." Brow furrowed, Riko cast her navy eyes to a clock on the wall of the nearest shop; sure enough, they'd been waiting on Tanaki for over an hour.

"So, was she lying about wanting to attend the festival with us?" she asked, remembering the far-away gaze in her older sister's brown eyes that night. Tanaki had spent the previous month searching for work, then suddenly stopped going out…at all. The hyperactive brunette had begun spending hours locked in her room, filling a notebook with her usual scribblings — a few numbers here and there, a handful of simple words she could spell and several she attempted but butchered, and numerous ambiguous scrawled pictograms that seemed to only make sense to her. Her usual cartoony drawings of tanukis, turtles, squirrels, and flowers were put aside for an almost endless parade of what seemed almost like lists — lists Riko couldn't read for the life of her. "Why would she change her mind out of the blue like that…? We've talked of nothing but this festival for weeks, and she seemed to look forward to it!" Shiracha caught Riko by the shoulder, urging her out of the road to the front steps of the tea house where she worked.

"I'm sure she wanted to come to the festival, Bright Eyes," Shiracha explained, the childhood nickname comforting Riko. "I worry she was lying about actually coming to meet us…her eyes seemed distant and they wouldn't meet mine." Riko shot her a concerned glance. What in the world was keeping Tanaki at home when her sister and best friend were waiting, with a great evening planned to boot?

Without a word, Riko and Shiracha started for the two sisters' home. The small house was quiet in spite of the rowdy festival, and dark in spite of the young woman supposedly still at home. Riko cringed as they snuck past her mother's bedroom; honestly, their father was barely three months in the grave, and she was yet again raising a ruckus with one of her usual men…or from the sound of it, _two of them._ Her vows to their father had never been worth their salt; he'd finally given up hope that she'd change, but had refused divorce to save face in the village. "Note to self," Riko groused under her breath once they'd turned the corner. _"Earplugs."_ Shiracha's mischievous nature finally showed in a perverse leer.

The door to Tanaki's room was shut; no light seeped out beneath it, and no sound issued forth. Fear built in her stomach as Riko knocked, but didn't receive an answer. Hoping, fearing, Riko slid the door open.

 _"TANAKI!"_

* * *

Many miles away, a woman paused at a crossroads near the boundaries of Grass Country and Earth Country, considering her options. Her long, sleek brown hair hung in a neat ponytail, her overlong bangs pulled back with a dark green cloth headband. Somber brown eyes regarded a sign decked with moss and lichens. Just below it was a leafy plant with a long, coiling stem lined with odd heart-shaped pink and white flowers. She smiled weakly, crouching to tug loose two of the tiny blooms.

A polite cough broke Tanaki's dubious concentration; she turned to greet a small family piled into an open wagon with a cage of chickens, a cage of ducks, an incredibly well-fed cat, and two snoring dogs. A young girl with frizzy navy hair hid bashfully behind her grandmother's skirts. When had they arrived? She hadn't even heard the oxen. "My apologies," she said with a weak smile. "Am I in your way?"

"In our way?" an elderly woman beamed from bright blue eyes. "No, Child. You seem lost."

'I've never been _more_ lost,' she thought seriously. "Yes. Do you know of any villages nearby who welcome strangers? I'm searching for Home." The elder blinked at the odd phrase but nodded sagely.

"The closest is Sounding Stone, some fair distance from here. We're heading there ourselves—Aoi and Sora's father found work there. They don't seem fond of ninjas, though." She eyed the wooden staff on her back curiously.

"I'm no ninja," Tanaki smiled sheepishly. "Just a lost dropout too illiterate to even read a sign." The driver, a young man with impressive biceps and eyes like an October sky, laughed warmly; leaning over the side of the wagon, he offered her a hand up.

"Hop in," he grinned. "We'll give you a lift." For a moment her eyes welled with tears, overwhelmed by the kind gesture. Before he could misunderstand, she broke into a bright grin, drew the staff from her back, and planted the end firmly in the dusty road. Aoi laughed in delight as Tanaki dramatically vaulted up into the back, landing with deceptive ease on one of the musty hay bales lining the back.

"Thank you so very much..." She focused on settling her staff and rucksack at her feet, knowing that they'd be concerned if they realized she was choking up. "You won't regret it. If there's any way I can be of assistance, ever, I'd be only too glad to help."

"If you want to keep Aoi entertained, we'll not argue," the elder winked cheekily. "She gets bored quite easily." A soft tug of the reins and the oxen lurched forward; Aoi peered over the side of the wagon, admiring the plant with pink flowers.

"What a pretty flower," she murmured in awe. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"It's called 'Bleeding Heart,' Chibi," Tanaki smiled warmly, showing her the unopened bloom she'd plucked. "Look at the bottom there — see the little drop? As the flowers open, the pink petals curl back, and what once seemed a drip of blood from a heart..." She slyly reached up to Aoi's ear, 'pulling' something from behind it. The girl's eyes lit up in glee at the remarkable, fully bloomed flower Tanaki pressed into her palm. "...becomes a delicate white gem."

As Aoi admired the tiny bloom and the faint lavender and yellow markings on the tiny white 'jewel,' she gazed back in the direction of Grass village. "My father always said that the gods created Bleeding Heart to give us hope. When our hearts are heavy with sorrows, they seem to break and bleed; if we have patience, have faith, before we know it the hurt will heal and we'll be stronger for it."

As Aoi gushed happily about the flower to her grandmother, Tanaki considered the explanation. She'd hit hard times, and her heart was bleeding. Gods willing, though, her homeless heart would soon cease bleeding and instead, begin to bloom.

~*~#~*~


	2. 1: Strangers to Hidden Leaf

_**I LIVE!**_

 _ **Okay, seriously, it's been for-bleepin'-ever since I've been able to write anything on this story. RealLife's been kicking my kiester and I don't work on this often. SINCE there'll be a full-scale hiatus in the future - see note on profile if you want details - I'm trying to update as many of my stories as I can in the mean time. My Naruto-DBZ beta has been under a lot of stress lately, too, so this is pending beta-reading. No rush, DA, and hope things get easier soon!**_

 _ **Mild warnings for some light Shippuden spoilers, crude language and bad behavior from Suzaku, and a few things that are TOTALLY not canon...I regret nothing because in those cases, the canon blew. Hope y'all enjoy, and take care! This chapter dedicated to my awesome beta, DarkAvenger1506, and also to my village's idiot. ;) I love'im to pieces.**_

 _ **Suggested Listening: Blind Faith, "Can't Find My Way Home"**_

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 **1: Strangers to Hidden Leaf**

 _ **Three years later, February, Fire Country**_

 _'Turn the key, Tah-nah-kee,'_ the brown-eyed stranger mused from the topmost bough of a massive oak, humming a tune as familiar as the beating of her own wild heart. _'Leave it all behind. The sky is blue and so are you, 'til your home you find. Ramble-ing, amble-ing, wand'ring night and day. You will see, Tanaki, soon, you'll find your way.'_

Lost in memories of her father's ever-changing song, Tanaki sprawled out along the limb listlessly, idly balancing her polished wooden bo staff on one palm. In her home—no, she reminded herself forcefully—in _Hidden Grass Village,_ there would still be snow on the ground and the air would sting like a thousand kunai. She was in Fire country, now, and apparently, their Spring started as early as February. No snow clogged the lush greenery around her; the wind rustling her hair was cool but had no bite.

Over three years ago, Tanaki fled the Village Hidden in the Grass searching for Home. Countless countries, nations, and villages shone in her memory but all were in the past now—none of them were Home. Three years on the run, three years searching only to never find what she sought…she'd grown so _tired_. For just a moment, she reached up to her temple, brushing her fingertips across a familiar band of faded green fabric. Her waist-length brown ponytail and long fringe were another memory, long since lopped off out of necessity and impatience. Now her hair was a messy, frizzy mop of brown that didn't quite reach her neck; short hair is easier to care for when you're living on the run. Realizing the way her thoughts turned, she fitted her staff back into its shoulder holster and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her worn brown cargo pants, staring off into the green horizon.

 _'Can it be, Tanaki? You left it all behind. Don't know why but can't deny…' "…they're always on my mind,"_ she finished aloud wistfully. Her throat burned at the truth of the simple rhyme. Riko…Shiracha…she left them behind her with the rest of her life, and they still haunt her endlessly. Pinpricks in her eyes warned of another impending bout of useless tears; why couldn't she just be normal?—why couldn't she just feel what she felt without _drowning in it?_

 _"Tanaki!"_ someone laughed from the base of the tree, drawing Tanaki's eyes downward. Seafoam green eyes grinned brightly behind spiky pine green fringe, sunlight a blinding reflection off of their glass lenses.

"Hiya, Chi!" Tanaki greeted with forced cheer. Mizuchi clambered up toward her with no grace or skill but finally made it to the same limb. Once again, Tanaki was reminded that Mizuchi's neighbors in her home village of Hidden Waterfall must not value tree climbing; she wondered why the bookish medic-nin dropout never thought to use chi to climb. "Su back yet?" Mizuchi nodded, concerned at the suspicious shimmer in her friend's eyes, but didn't remark on it. Tanaki was prone to outbursts of emotion and always felt embarrassed when they were noticed; it was just part of her personality, but a trait others didn't understand, much less accept.

"Just did," she relayed simply. "There's another village about a mile away—a hidden village flying the Fire Nation's standard. Suzaku thinks it's the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Shall we try?" For just a moment, Tanaki considered the same thing she always considered at that time: should she just go home? Should she just return to Hidden Grass, beg amnesty, and go back to the life—and lack of opportunity—she left behind? As every time before, she knew what had to be done - and what was at stake should she fail. She hopped up on the limb, grinned at Mizuchi, and offered her a hand.

"Let's go find Home, Chi," she proclaimed in grandiose cheer. The moment their feet hit the ground they took off to the south; the third member of their party would meet them on the way. Every step of the way, Tanaki held tightly to her father's lullaby, silently adding yet another verse of her own. _'Turn the key, Tanaki, roaming with the wind. One day, we will wait and see—you'll be home again.'_

* * *

 _ **Hidden Leaf Village, Spice of Life Curry Shop**_

"Gai-sensei's really late this time," Tenten complained into her menu. "At this rate, he'll miss lunch entirely!" Across from her, Rock Lee scanned the restaurant for a familiar black bowl-cut head of hair and listened for a familiar baritone voice spouting oaths about youth. At Tenten's side, Neji didn't even bother opening his eyes.

"I told you, Tenten," he mumbled sedately. "His team left on a mission—he won't be here today." As an argument erupted between the two teammates—one arguing that Neji hadn't shared that news and the other arguing that Tenten hadn't listened—Lee stared at the front door mournfully; yet another sign that their days as team Gai were over, he thought to himself.

The years had been kind to him—to all of his peers, really—and he no longer felt compelled to model his every habit after his beloved sensei. His bowl cut was gone, grown out and tied in a tail at his nape, but he still wore the green uniform his mentor gifted him. Gai was proud of him, he was sure—Rock Lee, the Green Beast of Leaf Village, was a full-fledged Jōnin with a team of Genin all his own. It still caught him off guard to be addressed as 'Lee-sensei,' but he wouldn't trade it for the world…even if the youngest did have a habit of getting hurt easily.

"—it's just not right! It spells trouble for the village!" The sudden exclamation derailed his train of thought and he turned to fix the speaker with a dubious gaze.

"What is not right, Tenten?" he asked. "What is trouble for the village?" The kunoichi scowled over at him, looking for all intents and purposes like he called her a horrible name.

"You weren't listening?" she accused. "I _said_ that Ino saw a group of newcomers arrive today—two women and one man, all strangers and none visibly related, and only the man's a ninja! Two women living with one man spells trouble for the village—it's just not right! They're probably perverts!" As she launched into a long tirade, Neji closed his eyes and leaned back in the booth as though preparing for a nap. Somewhere between the words 'polygamists' and 'degenerates,' an embarrassed voice sounded nearby.

"Um…" the speaker fumbled as Lee searched around for them. "Do they have any really spicy curry?" Finally, he found her. Three people sat at the corner table, one a tall, severe woman with blindingly red hair and enormous breasts, another a petite, feminine woman with silky pine green hair. The brown-haired speaker hadn't much to speak of in the way of feminine curves, but Lee knew she was, indeed, female…a female with a nose almost as large as Gai-sensei's, wide hips, embarrassed brown eyes, barely discernable breasts, and short messy hair the color of milk chocolate.

"That's them!" Tenten hissed over at him barely containing herself. "They're the ones I was talking about!" Neji took one glance at the trio, closed his eyes again, and grumbled,

"Tenten, they are all women."

While Tenten forgot her manners completely, the three strangers awkwardly endured the scrutiny of the curry shop's patrons. Suzaku and Mizuchi exchanged a knowing glance as Tanaki pretended to focus on the menu…a menu she couldn't read if her life depended on it. As Mizuchi softly read the menu aloud for her, Tanaki was struck by a familiar disappointment; already she could tell that this village was not Home. She could well hear the speculation from other tables, and it was nothing new. So she wasn't very feminine and lacked certain feminine attributes, she reasoned bitterly; did that make her any less of a woman? It certainly didn't make her a cross-dresser!

"I'll be back," she mumbled to her companions, quickly beating a swift retreat to the front door. On the way, she passed a tall gentleman with glossy black hair and large black eyes but gave no sign she even saw him. Lee, disappointed that she'd been chased off by Tenten's lapse in manners, sighed and continued to her table. Mizuchi's bespectacled eyes wouldn't meet his but Suzaku scowled in accusation, her arms crossed under her over-developed chest. Though her black-rimmed eyes were the color of bright jade, they were sharp as flint and full of fire.

"Y'all didn't have to be rude, asshole," she snapped at him. "A simple 'no visitors allowed' sign would'a done the trick without hurtin' her feelings!" Stunned, Lee could only stare back at her for a moment.

"What?" he finally got out. "I came to apologize for my friends…Tenten has been having a rough week—I am sure she did not mean to be hurtful. Please forgive her rudeness?" Suzaku blew her side-set bangs out of her eyes in frustration.

"Y'ever heard'a contractions?" she drawled.

"SU!" Mizuchi squeaked in embarrassment. A sort of silent conversation erupted between them consisting solely of gestures and expressions. Finally, Suzaku bolted out of her seat, her face almost as red as her hair, and stormed out the front to follow their friend. Mizuchi stared after her then turned to address Lee, sure her cheeks were blindingly red. "Don't mind Su, Sir," she apologized softly. "She's just worried about Tanaki—we both hate seeing her hurt." She sighed with a somewhat pitiful moue. "This village doesn't seem very friendly so far." Lee pulled up a chair beside her and sat straddling it.

"Well," he admitted with a small smile. "Sometimes it can feel that way but I promise we are not all unfriendly. I hope you will be willing to give us another chance...in the meantime, let us start over." He held one bandage-decked hand out to her with a bright, friendly smile. "Welcome to Hidden Leaf village! My name is Rock Lee. What is yours?" Mizuchi giggled at his silliness but accepted the handshake.

"Koizumi Mizuchi," she grinned back at him. "The temperamental redhead's name is Suzaku and my other friend's name is Nehashi Tanaki. We're looking for Home." Lee stared back in confusion.

 _"A_ home?" he clarified. "You are looking for _a_ home?" Mizuchi shook her head in denial.

"No—anywhere can be _a_ home," she explained softly. "What we're searching for is _Home—_ a place we can be ourselves, be accepted, and be happy. Each of us had _a_ home before but each of us wants something better—somewhere we can start fresh." She shrugged, staring through the scuffed chrome napkin dispenser on the table. "Semantics, maybe, but it's the difference between making do and being happy—we want happiness, not just a roof over our heads, and we've left everything behind us to find it. Tell me, Lee-san," she asked meeting his eyes wearily. "Do you think we have a chance here? Is this village likely to accept us, or should we leave and go on to Hidden Sand?"

Lee considered her question silently, his eyes wandering along the front windows of the curry shop. Just beyond them, he picked out Suzaku's scarlet hair. The cantankerous woman stood beneath a tall tree, staring upward as though speaking with someone on a low branch. A moment later, Tanaki dropped down to join her, her eyes shiny.

"Please give our village a chance, Mizuchi-san," Lee answered quietly. "I cannot promise we will be the home you seek, but give us a week at least. Every village has its flaws…" He stared down at one bandaged hand, recalling vividly a black-haired boy who wanted nothing more than to become a great ninja…and the ninja master he became. At times, he, too, had wondered if Hidden Leaf was worth sticking around for, but every time, the village pulled through. "…what matters is whether a village's virtues outweigh their flaws, and I truly believe ours does." He stood and clapped the petite woman on the back with an encouraging smile. "You will need to see Hokage-sama if you plan to stay here for any time—I would be honored to escort you and your friends there. I hope you find what you seek."

* * *

"I'm gonna punch'er," Suzaku grumbled into her black-garbed cleavage. "Stupid loud-mouthed panda-bitch must pay." From the limb above her, Tanaki sighed.

"Su, lay off," she mumbled. "Just leave it be…she didn't know we could hear her."

"Everyone in the bleedin' shop could hear'er!" the redhead snapped back sprinkling in a few random expletives for good measure. "She needs'a be taught a lesson—she needs'a shut'er trap!" Tanaki dug callused fingertips into the wrinkling skin between her eyes, cringing. The story never changed…she'd get her feelings hurt, Suzaku would get angry and start threatening people, Mizuchi would start getting quiet and withdrawn, and Tanaki would wind up with a headache. Not for the first time, she wondered why she ever invited them to tag along in her search for Home. Their personalities clashed constantly. Besides, Tanaki wasn't the brightest, but she was willing to bet finding three Homes was harder than finding one.

Suddenly, Tanaki found herself distracted from Suzaku's grumblings by the call of a familiar bird. Just yards away, a robin hopped about anxiously; every now and then, he'd dart after some insect, his bright eyes gleaming in satisfaction. Without warning, he fixed a steady black eye on her, an inch worm dangling from his beak.

'What're you waiting for?' the robin seemed to demand. 'Home is out there—quit feeling sorry for yourself and go find it!' The first robin of spring, Tanaki contemplated solemnly. The world's long winter was over and a new, warmer day was begun; perhaps it was time for her long winter to end as well? Suddenly, she wasn't worried about whether or not she could handle what life threw at her; suddenly, she felt that Hidden Leaf deserved another chance. Suzaku watched her curiously as she hopped down to the ground. Though Tanaki's eyes still shimmered, Su wasn't worried; the brunette always bounced back quickly.

"C'mon," Tanaki grinned over at her bewildered friend. "Let's get lunch." Before, she'd doubted the village had any potential as home; now, she was willing to give the place a chance. Hope filled her heart making her feel lighter than air…and hyperactive…and a hyper Tanaki was a disaster waiting to happen. Tanaki cartwheeled a few paces away from the curry shop, dropped into a handstand facing the distant front gates, and grinned up at Suzaku. "Race ya!" Green eyes rolled at her antics and their owner snorted. "Fine, grumpy-gills—suit yourself!"

Halfway to the door of the curry shop, Tanaki remembered why backward handstand races weren't a good idea in crowded areas. The collision came without warning and she was left lying face-down in the dirt road, the wind knocked out of her lungs completely.

"Crud!" Lee squawked then slapped his hand over his mouth; Suzaku arched an eyebrow, unsure why he was upset over spouting something that wasn't even a curse. Of course, she cursed like a sailor at times, so she wasn't one to judge. "I am sorry—I am so sorry! Are you alright, Miss?" With what felt like an entire day's worth of energy, she rolled over and stared up at the tall, lean man she'd run into—glossy black hair tied in a neat tail, wide black eyes, and a flak vest over an atrocious green jumpsuit.

She wheezed—she blushed—she wheezed again—finally, she gave up on trying to talk and just waved pitifully. Realizing her predicament he crouched down beside her and clasped a supportive hand on her shoulders. Tanaki worked to get her lungs working again and then to regulate her breathing, all the while glancing furtively at the courteous stranger. When the pain in her lungs faded, she held out one callused hand for him to shake.

"Sorry," she said hoarsely. "Nehashi Tanaki, wandering nutcase. You?" The black-eyed ninja smirked at her and rocked back on his heels.

"Rock Lee, ninja of Hidden Leaf." Lee straightened up pulling her with him, the momentum sending her tumbling headfirst into his flak-covered chest; despite the dark blush exploding across her cheeks and her death-grip on his vest, Lee steadied her without so much as a chuckle. "Your friend Mizuchi-san tells me you are searching for Home, Tanaki-san."

"Yeah," she mumbled into his collarbone; all the blood rushed to her head while she was in a handstand and now she was ridiculously dizzy. 'Someone stop the merry-go-round!' she thought with a nervous giggle, then added aloud, "Been on the road a few years now—still nothin'." Finally, the world stopped spinning—in more ways than one, she thought shyly as she backed away from her savior. Content that she wasn't about to fall again, he led her back to the curry shop door.

"Well, I hope you find our village to your liking." Just inside the doorway, he searched for his teammates—Neji was either asleep or completely ignoring Tenten, and Tenten was still grumbling into her menu. It seemed lunch was only going to grow tenser by the minute. "Would you mind if I joined you for lunch?" he asked with a sheepish grin. "It seems my teammates are not up for company today." Tanaki was grateful she decided on her order before she left to get herself together; if she was careful, he might not realize she was hiding something…illiteracy, after all, wasn't something one wanted to admit to handsome strangers.

As the three companions and Lee settled around the corner table, Suzaku warily scanned the curry shop's occupants for a familiar face. It was a habit as old as her friendship with Tanaki, and a habit she couldn't break no matter how she despised it. She always had one eye open, always kept a sharp focus on her surroundings. If she ever failed to do so, she worried, she might open her eyes and find herself in water hotter than the hot springs her home village was named for. Someday she might find herself faced with a demon from her troubled past—a demon with shadow-ringed green eyes and greasy white hair…a demon she once called her father.

Suzaku mentally shook herself; she was being ridiculous. Ikeda Makoto wasn't some bogeyman prone to jumping out of the dark at the slightest provocation—vigilance couldn't keep him away, it just made her feel better.

As she turned back to the three other people sharing her table, her eyes passed over the table Lee left behind. Directly across from her, a man with long, sleek black hair leaned listlessly back in his seat, from the looks of it, drowsing. Just above the side-set fastening of his shirt, she could see the very edges of a large, deep scar. Su stared. Hidden Leaf had a large hospital, they'd passed it on the way into town. Had his injury occurred abroad? Was it just too massive for even a medic-nin to wipe away? Of course, she reminded herself silently as a server approached their table, Mizuchi was a medic-nin dropout and she'd been unable to completely erase the reminders littering Suzaku's back. Some things, she decided, were better unknown.

Without warning, the Neji's pale eyes flew open and met hers in a hard stare. The contact between green and white stretched unbearably, the green hardening and the white softening. Without a word, Suzaku finally tore away and snapped her order at the already nervous server. Unnoticed, Neji quirked a small smirk, watching the red-haired stranger curiously.

'Curious,' he mused as she scowled into her drink. 'How very curious.'

* * *

"Hokage-sama this, Hokage-sama that," Naruto grumbled into his piles of paperwork. "Whatever happened to being friends, dattebayo?" Lee grinned at his long-time friend's sullen attitude.

"You became Hokage," he answered with a teasing smile. "You are still my friend, but now you are my leader as well—it is only good manners!" Sky blue eyes shot daggers at him. "I brought visitors, Naruto," he explained with a sheepish grin; it was all well and good to tease the blond, but everything had its time. "Three women from other villages—they wonder if our village might be the home they search for. Shall I bring them in?" Naruto considered the question and glanced over at the spiky-haired assistant staring out at the clouds passing by.

"Don't look at me," Shikamaru droned. "You're Hokage—I'm just here to keep you from breaking the village…troublesome."

"Why not," Naruto yawned waving in a 'come on' gesture. "Send'em in—not like I've got better things to do." As Lee ducked out the door, Shikamaru shot a pointed glance at the piles of paperwork teetering on the blonde's desk.

"Nothing better to do," he grumbled. "Right…" His impending under-breath scolding fell short as three women followed Rock Lee into the office—one busty redhead, one board-flat brunette, and one bookish female with green hair.

"Hokage-sama," Lee grinned, "These are Mizuchi-san, Suzaku-san, and Tanaki-san—they are searching for Home." Like everyone else the women met, Naruto tried to correct Lee's statement about 'home;' as every time before, Mizuchi corrected and explained. Naruto scrutinized the trio carefully, then finally asked,

"Where're you from? Are you ninja?" At this point, Mizuchi always got embarrassed and Suzaku always clammed up, so Tanaki answered.

"We've lived on the road a long time, Sir, and though we're not really ninja, we've all had some degree of training." She drew Mizuchi closer with an arm around her shoulders triggering a scarlet blush from her friend's hairline down beyond her neckline. "Chi's from Hidden Waterfall village—she was in training to be a medic-nin but didn't finish." Tanaki shot a teasing grin at Suzaku. "Su was born in the Hidden Hot Water. She was trained by a family member but never received any official training. I'm originally from Hidden Grass…I had to drop out of the academy but received training from my father and sister." Finally, her smile cracked, remembering her younger sister. Had Riko gotten on with her life? Did she still miss her? Surely the blonde wouldn't have dropped out to go searching for her!

Naruto sobered at the name of Tanaki's home village. "You're from Hidden Grass?" he repeated. "What do you know of a ninja named Zetsu? He's a missing nin affiliated with the Akatsuki; he wore the mark of Hidden Grass. We lost many good ninja to that bastard, dattebayo.",

"What do I know of'im?" Tanaki retorted dryly, unimpressed. "He's unstable, stinks of BO and mold, and has an unhealthy attraction to corpses. I hold no loyalty to Hidden Grass, but don't go judgin' a village by its idiot." Shikamaru chuckled under his breath.

"Funny," Shikamaru teased. " _Our_ village gets judged by _our_ idiot _every day_ —isn't that right, _Hokage-sama?"_

* * *

 _...Damn, Shikamaru. That burned. Thanks for readin' and hope y'all have a great day!_


	3. non-chapter update

**THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER!**

 **THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE FROM A GHOST WRITER AT HER WITS' END!**

Hey, folks! Hope everyone's doing great out there. I'm just dropping in to give y'all a quick update on some of the stories I haven't been able to get anything written for lately. I'm not going to dump or give y'all the boohoo-poor-me song and dance, but I do have a few points to make.

I'm not _abandoning_ any of my stories, I'm just having to temporarily put some them aside as a result of stress, difficulty, lack of time, and errant muses. Some stories are still getting updated SOMEWHAT regularly, but a lot are being put on an indefinite hold. Details to follow. As always, I WILL NOT simply abandon a story without at the very least saying "Whoops, looks like this one croaked, here's what was gonna happen, have fun with the scribbles."

The less entertaining point, to put it simply, is that Real Life is absolutely crap right now. My hometown's getting unsafe, my home country's a ticking time bomb, and my family are about ready to kill each other. Especially with the holidays coming up, there's not enough booze or sugar on the face of the earth to keep things from escalating. I'm now officially unemployed - due to a combination of family drama, increasingly frequent panic attacks, and because my former boss was delusional enough to think I'd still work for him even after he stopped paying me for the work. (I drew the line at a month of non-payment - he didn't foresee starting up my wages again at any time soon and I didn't foresee myself putting up with his creepy 'I watch you sleep' stares without monetary compensation...or jail time. Needless to say I've put off finding new work for many reasons and have been focusing on family and my novel.

Aside from that drama, there's still the issue that sparked the impending 'grief' hiatus, too. I explained before that a relative of mine has been undergoing chemo for terminal cancer, and that hasn't changed - he's still alive, still needing a lot of help from me all the time, and still getting worse. Honestly, I love him to bits but he's always been hard to get along with - I'm the only person in the family who can endure his behavior and attitude without getting drunk or breaking his teeth...lucky me. The cancer metastasized (sp?) into his brain has been tipping him further and further into insanity, and at risk of sounding 'insensitive,' most of us have come to the conclusion that he's trying to get himself killed before he dies. It's NOT a good situation and it's just getting worse.

...but I digress. Anyway, I'm slapping this note onto stories that are being put on the back-burner and will be putting hiatus notes on the most-neglected. These stories - which are NOT being abandoned, just set aside for the time - are the following:

A Match Made in Metal - no updates in over a year; my Megamind muse has been comatose for nearly that whole time and so far, she's not lookin' too good. I may actually have to bury this one. This story is the least likely to be updated before the noted grief hiatus occurs.

Homeless Hearts \- got an update in March but no change since then; my Naruto muse is currently hiding in the closet...at least I THINK he's still there...if not, he fooled me by leaving his sandals out. Slightly more likely to be updated before hiatus but still not likely.

A Breath of Fresh Air, The Moments in Time series, and all other Elementals related works - BoFA was updated in February, but it's been a donkey's age since I got anything done for MiT or the other (unposted) installments of Elementals. Hellboy muse is still alive and kicking - or at least unconscious and twitching. This story is the most likely of the three to be updated before the hiatus occurs, as the next chapter has got some work done on it. (about half, maybe...?)

A New Lease on Life is still being updated more regularly than any other story in my catalog - it's infrequent at times, but you can rest assured that the waits will always result in decent updates. Plus, things are really heating up in the storyline (as it's past the thirties) and we'll soon get past the drama to the warm-an'-fuzzies. I'll be adding a new chapter soon, in fact, possibly in the next couple weeks. If you're into the Ninja Turtles fandom and haven't hit this story up yet, please, for your own sake fix that shit. Seriously.

A New Lease on Life: Gallery of Memories is already, by nature, not frequently updated. The whole point of this story is to provide a shout-out and thank-you to my readers when they push ANLoL past another views/reviews/comments/kudos milestone - each milestone in ANLoL is marked by a new standalone chapter in GoM. Unless I'm mistaken, this story is currently caught up on all milestones with no backlog.

Serendipity: Shifting the Paradigm is getting updated more slowly than the other two, but it's still being worked on at least monthly. Currently it's still in that awkward and random preliminary stage but it's always got plenty of laughs. Dragon Ball Z fans can always look forward to plenty of awkward humor and stubborn characters, and now we're getting some guardian-stalking going on!

Finally, these stories are pretty new but are getting worked on somewhat regularly

A New Lease on Life: Blocked - this ANLoL 'side-story' is actually a totally-not-serious PARODY of the storyline. I started this SI crack farce to help fight off a particularly vicious bout of writer's block and am occasionally kicking around bits for posting. This little travesty features fat cats, a socially awkward writer, and a million reasons why truth and fiction shouldn't mix. Check it out if you need a laugh.

The Demon King and the Half-Breed Hermit \- this one's new - at least online - and has a short queue of chapters completed and ready for posting. If you're tired of waiting for StP to get updated or just want to see Aubrey repeatedly poison Piccolo, give it a look.

Lastly, I'm still open for commissions on DeviantArt for cover art and concept art, and now would be a really great time for someone to someone to patronize me - I mean 'commission a piece' from me. Thanks for your time and patience, and I hope things are soon less crazy.

~Ghost Chance


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